Star Fox Guard Review&colon; A Pleasant Surprise

Star Fox Guard is a surprisingly fun and deep base defense game. When I first heard about it, I thought it was okay, but not something I really planned on playing. I am so glad that I did because it is such a good game, and for a cheap price.

What Gave Me Joy

The concept is simple, use the cameras at the base to spot and shoot down enemy bots. Each camera has a blaster on it to attack enemy bots. There are multiple types of bots and special upgrades to cameras you get as you rank up.

This is where I got hooked. From the moment I finished my first level after the tutorial, I wanted to continue to take out these security threats.

This is an example of how to use two screens the correct way in a game.

The TV screen is used to show the view of all twelve of your base's cameras. The Wii U gamepad shows the map of your base and lets you move or turn your cameras.

You also use this to apply special upgrades to your cameras, or switch to another camera to attack while enemies come after you.

I loved how intense defense can get and it is fun setting up your cameras and coming up with a strategy before a battle.

Squad Action

Something that really brings out the game and gives it more longevity is the Squads option.

When you progress far enough into the game, you can make your own squad of bots that other people around the world can try defending against. You can search for random players or put in the ID of someone you know to compete against.

Players have a limit of how many bots they can put in a level and where, so they'll have great time deciding how they want to build their squad to try and get through other players' defenses.

This adds even more strategy to a game that has plenty already.

What Could Be Improved

Although the multiplayer aspect is fun, it is a little limited. You can choose between different route options, but it would be nice if you could manually set how you want your bots to move.

The levels don't provide much variety, but there is still a decent amount. I think a true co-op mode could be fun, similar to Star Fox Zero where you have two players doing something different.

There is not much I have to complain about though, and I really hope Nintendo follows up on this game.

The Verdict

I would definitely advise readers to pick this game up. It is very good, especially considering the price is $15 for a digital copy ($10 if you also bought Star Fox Zero digitally).

It may not have much to do with the Star Fox other than the setting, but it is well worth your time.

I sincerely hope that Nintendo takes note of how great this game is and continues to try more ideas like this to keep things fresh.